Maduro Arrives at Manhattan Courthouse as Trump Expands Threats
Nicolás Maduro, the ousted Venezuelan leader, and his wife were set to be arraigned on drug trafficking and other charges. President Trump suggested he could take action against other countries, including Colombia and Mexico.
Benjamin WeiserWilliam K. RashbaumAnnie Karni and Hurubie Meko
Hurubie Meko reported from Lower Manhattan.
Nicolás Maduro, the ousted Venezuelan president, and his wife were brought to the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Monday ahead of their arraignment on charges of drug trafficking and other crimes, two days after they were captured in a U.S. military raid in Caracas.
Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were escorted off a helicopter in Downtown Manhattan under heavy security and were set to face charges including narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, according to an unsealed indictment. Their capture in a U.S. commando raid in Caracas on Saturday followed a monthslong campaign by the Trump administration to drive out the autocratic leader.
Even as Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, offered to work with the United States “on a cooperative agenda,” President Trump on Sunday night doubled down on his assertion of direct control over Venezuela, saying that his government was “in charge” of the country. That contradicted comments hours earlier by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested that the administration would instead coerce cooperation from the new leadership in Caracas.
Mr. Trump also suggested that the United States could take action against more countries, including Colombia, Mexico and the semiautonomous Danish territory of Greenland. Asked whether that could mean a U.S. operation against Colombia, he said, “It sounds good to me.” In response to Mr. Trump’s comments in an earlier interview that “we do need Greenland,” the prime minister of Denmark, a NATO ally, urged him to “stop the threats.”
Here’s what else to know:
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Arraignment: The Maduros’ appearance on Monday in Federal District Court in Lower Manhattan could be brief. He and his wife, who are being held a short distance away at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, are expected to enter pleas of not guilty, and a judge will almost certainly order them detained. It could be well over a year before a jury is seated to weigh the evidence against them. Read the indictment ›
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Congressional briefing: After Democratic lawmakers complained of being kept in the dark about U.S. plans for Venezuela, Trump administration officials plan to provide a briefing on Monday afternoon to leaders in Congress.
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Security Council: The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to convene an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the U.S. raid in Venezuela.
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Tankers: At least 16 oil tankers hit by U.S. sanctions appear to have attempted to evade a major American naval blockade on Venezuela’s energy exports over the last two days, in part by disguising their true locations or turning off their transmission signals. Read more ›
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Oil reserves: Mr. Trump made clear his desire to open up Venezuela’s vast state-controlled oil reserves to American oil companies. Shares of major American oil companies jumped on Monday in the first trading session since Maduro’s ouster. But U.S. intervention in the Venezuelan oil industry could prove complicated and expensive. Read more ›